Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- Aptly; fitly; neatly; dexterously; in a skilful manner.
- Softly; leisurely.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb Aptly; fitly; dexterously; neatly.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb In a
deft manner;quickly andneatly in action.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adverb with dexterity; in a dexterous manner
- adverb in a deft manner
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word deftly.
Examples
-
"Rankin deftly captures the mad circus ... of the G8 summit, but this background muddies the narrative waters."
-
If the new administration continues with the present Vision (unlikely), or turns away as deftly from a new one as the present White House did from theirs, he might just get away with it.
-
Ovechkin deftly slid a pass to Green, who scored his ninth goal from the right circle at 18: 29.
USATODAY.com 2008
-
His coauthor David Oliver Relin deftly evokes high-altitude landscapes haunted by glaciers, snow leopards, and the deaths of scores of climbers.
-
Halperin deftly transforms the presence of allusions into something missing — they
The Uses and Abuses of Historicism: Halperin and Shelley on the Otherness of Ancient Greek Sexuality 2006
-
By deftly visualizing our “real world” imaginings of futures that never came to be, and sprinkling the film with subtle pop cultural nods, Sky Captain deftly manages the nearly impossible: it is utterly unique, yet comfortably familiar.
-
In this spare book, Herrin deftly tackles a topical subject at a geographical remove from American soil for a subtle, suspenseful treatment of a personal response to terrorism.
House of the Deaf: Summary and book reviews of House of the Deaf by Lamar Herrin. 2005
-
"But the 10 percent rule, which seemed to skirt the tricky issue of race so deftly, is coming under increasing attack these days as many wealthy parents complain that their children are not getting a fair shake."
IsThatLegal? 2004
-
A handful of earth was caught up deftly from the floor, and with it the glass was carefully scoured.
Daughters of India 1908
-
He held his ornate sword deftly in his mailed right fist.
Conan The Hunter Moore, Sean A. 1994
100000232338334 commented on the word deftly
"Janice walked away to get another towel, and in the clear reflection, I watched the silver-haired customer deftly sweep up the earrings and stuff them into her jacket pocket, while Janice's back was turned." -Club Dead, by Charlaine Harris
February 5, 2011